I’m Just a Counselor Chapter 112

I scrambled to my feet, forgetting the pain.

 

A silver-haired man with a sword, breathing heavily.

 

“Jeremiah!”

 

I called out his name and stumbled toward him, panting. Halfway there, my legs gave out, and I fell flat on my face in the snow.

 

I wasn’t in pain, but tears welled up in my eyes from embarrassment.

 

Jeremiah, seeing me unable to get up, dropped his sword and hurried to me.

 

“Vanessa, are you okay?”

 

Jeremiah’s hand grabbed mine.

 

I couldn’t feel it directly through the gloves, but I could tell by the chill that radiated from him. Jeremiah’s usually warm body was chilled.

 

‘I realized that he had lost his jacket, and he was wearing only a simple winter shirt.’

 

Alarmed, I quickly wrapped the cloak around him.

 

“Put this on, now!”

 

As soon as he pulled the cloak off, a chilly wind blew in. Hunching my shoulders a little, I carefully put the cloak on Jeremiah and then hugged him.

 

I felt the warmth return to his body as he squirmed against me. I held still and listened to the sound of his heart.

 

Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized that the sound of his heart was not so different from what I had heard under the mountain.

 

“Vanessa…, are you crying?”

 

My tears soaked Jeremiah’s shirt, and he mumbled something in a panicked voice, but I didn’t have time to answer.

 

“Hmph, black, I, am, the, duke, hmph, hmph, hmph!”

 

Naturally, my sobs weren’t pretty; that was reserved for Estella, and I merely sobbed bitterly.

 

Jeremiah looked puzzled, then hugged me and patted me on the back.

 

“Don’t cry. You were very scared. It’s okay now, Vanessa. Tsk.”

 

“Suck…”

 

“I’ve never comforted anyone but Estella before… Vanessa, it’s okay.”

 

‘I was understandably scared. I’d lived up north for three years, but this was the first time I’d ever been caught in an avalanche, and the first time I’d ever come face to face with a beast…’

 

‘I’d thought about picking the Aurora Rose, but I hadn’t realized how difficult it would be. I thought we’d just hike up the mountain with Jeremiah guiding us.’

 

“Duke, I’m afraid you’re going to die…”

 

‘But that’s what scared me the most. That Jeremiah would die because of me.’

 

“There’s no way I’m going to die here, Vanessa.”

 

Jeremiah whispered, soothing me. His touch is clumsy, as if he feels differently when he’s soothing his sister than when he’s soothing me. But I slowly steadied myself in his arms.

 

I had barely stopped crying by the time I had soaked Jeremiah’s shirt. In the meantime, his body had warmed up again.

 

‘I was very relieved and… embarrassed at the same time.’

 

‘I’m completely in Jeremiah’s arms right now.’

 

I was embarrassed to cry as I squeezed the snot out of my eyes, and I couldn’t lift my head out of Jeremiah’s arms easily because I knew my face would be a mess.

 

Then, his voice drifted over my head.

 

“I don’t mind you holding me like this, but does your arm hurt?”

 

At his insistence, I patted his arm and took a couple steps back.

 

After rubbing my face furiously, I finally looked up and asked him.

 

“How did you know I was here?”

 

My voice was muffled by my tears, and I coughed for a moment. Jeremiah shrugged and answered.

 

“I heard you call my name, and I heard it very clearly, so I came.”

 

“…Is that real?”

 

“No.”

 

I glared at Jeremiah at his bluntness. Jeremiah looked at my face, let out a small laugh, and spoke again.

 

“That flute. I said I’d know right away where you were if you blew it.”

 

“I thought it didn’t make a sound.”

 

“Only to me.”

 

I shook my head and fiddled with the flute around my neck, suddenly convinced by Jeremiah’s words.

 

Jeremiah looked at it fondly, then spoke.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“…….”

 

“For letting me protect you.”

 

His words warmed my heart. Even though I was the one who should be thanking him, Jeremiah always thanked me first. As if I had given him a chance. As if he was glad I did.

 

It tickled my chest unbearably. I clasped my trembling hands together.

 

I turned my head and saw the green blood still spreading over the snow, and the sword stuck above it was emitting a chill of foreboding, but it didn’t feel cold to me anymore.

 

“What about that… boar, did the Duke kill it?”

 

“Yes. I’m used to doing it often.”

 

“Well, I’m glad we don’t have to worry about that anymore. Are you hurt anywhere?”

 

Jeremiah didn’t seem to be injured, thank goodness, considering he’d made it this far.

 

He nodded as he drew his sword. I breathed a sigh of relief and looked around.

 

“Do you have any idea where we are?”

 

“I don’t know. I think we’re about halfway up the mountain.”

 

There was no telling how far the snowstorm had brought us. Jeremiah looked around and suggested we take a short walk. I nodded.

 

Then he held out his hand to me as if it was obvious. I glanced down at it, then gingerly took it.

 

His large, warm hand gripped mine firmly and pulled me closer.

 

“Ah, this is yours to wear again.”

 

Jeremiah slipped his cloak back on me. Now that he had regained some of his body heat, he wanted to give it back to me.

 

I thought about refusing, but decided against it. He can handle the cold better than I can, and I’d be a burden to Jeremiah if I were to lose strength from the cold.

 

I told him, “You can wear it later and… and we can take turns.”

 

But this time, Jeremiah’s shirtless body caught my eye. I squinted at him and asked.

 

“Where did you leave your outerwear?”

 

“I left it off because it was so wet from the snow and… clingy.”

 

“Well, I don’t think even a duke can stay long dressed like that. Go find your robe.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Or I’ll take your cloak off again now.”

 

At my unspoken threat, Jeremiah obediently led me toward where he had removed his jacket.

 

Jeremiah’s spot was some distance from where I’d fallen, and it tickled me again to think that he’d come to me right after he’d heard the boone flute.

 

His jacket lay haphazardly on the snow, and next to it…

 

“…….”

 

There was the carcass of a huge boar, Masu. Green blood dripped from the beast, soaking the snow.

 

My mouth dropped open as I looked at the carcass, its neck and torso nearly separated.

 

‘Jeremiah did this to him with just a sword?’

 

‘I used to get worried when I saw Jeremiah carrying a dull sword…’

 

‘So that’s all Jeremiah needed.’

 

I pursed my lips, then turned back to Jeremiah.

 

“Duke, are you sure you’re not hurt?”

 

Jeremiah, picking up the jacket he’d removed and discarded, replied nonchalantly.

 

“No, ma’am.”

 

‘Did that mean the fight was one-sided?’ I rolled my eyes and imagined Jeremiah slaying the demon.

 

‘In truth, I didn’t get a good look at how he attacked the demon when he drew his sword.’

 

‘I didn’t really get a chance to see it, because I was swept away by a snowstorm shortly afterward. All I saw was a young, white foreshadowing of his sword.’

 

One by one, I recalled the colorful claims to fame I’d heard, the ones that adorned his name.

 

I knew they weren’t true, of course, but it felt different to see them now. There was a reason Julian had never beaten Jeremiah before.

 

‘Well, I guess I shouldn’t have let Jeremiah get hurt anyway.’

 

I tore my eyes away from the corpse. Jeremiah was right, his jacket was soaked through, and it looked like he wouldn’t be able to put it on anytime soon.

 

I glanced at the sky. The sun was already setting.

 

“Do you think we can make a fire? The trees are all wet, and I don’t think we can use them for firewood.”

 

“Well, it’s probably better to set up camp early in the day, but do you mind?”

 

Jeremiah jerked his chin in the direction of the beast carcass. He meant we could camp next to it. I nodded cautiously.

 

“I think that might block the wind.”

 

“Vanessa, that’s a surprisingly big wall.”

 

Jeremiah said, sounding amused, then motioned for me to wait a moment and went into the trees.

 

When he returned a few moments later, he held in his hand a few branches that appeared to be intact. Jeremiah set them down and lit them with flint.

 

The whole process seemed so skillful that I couldn’t help but admire it. I doubted he, a duke, had ever set up camp before.

 

‘He looks like a skilled hunter.’